Cowley College’s student athletes – and other students headed out on school-sanctioned trips – will be hitting the road in style.
After making do with smaller buses for years, the college recently purchased a 2005, 56-passenger motor coach. The coach – after a trade in was factored in – cost the Ark City-based school just under $250,000.
So far the bus has arrived on campus but not been used for an event, says school spokesperson Rama Peroo.
With the addition of the mens’ and womens’ soccer teams in 2008 – and the expanding tracking field rosters – the school would not only fill a bus, but need two or three van loads of athletes to attend an event.
"We’ve been working for 24 years to get a bigger bus and we are happy to finally be able to get," says Dr. Pat McAtee, Cowley’s president.
Along with the increased seating, the MCI J4500 motor coach has a significant amount of additional storage space compared to the other buses in Cowley”s fleet.
There is also a restroom as well as six television monitors inside the vehicle for the students to use for watching DVD’s on some of the longer bus rides.
